iPhone ’Guided Access’ Shortcut Disabled

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Level 1

48 points

iPhone ’Guided Access’ Shortcut Disabled

Several people have posted about this problem, but no solution has been presented (that I could find). All of the prior discussions on this subject have been closed.

My iPhone (currently running IOS 18.5) used to allow me to (when I triple-clicked the power button) display the “Guided Access” shortcut so that could temporarily “lock the phone on the app that is open”. It is a great feature if you need to hand your iPhone to someone else but not allow that person to open any other app on your iPhone.

However, when I now triple-click the power button, the Guided Access shortcut is not displayed.

When I open my Accessibility settings, and look at the Guided Access option, it shows as being on, and the Accessibility Shortcut is also turned on. Unfortunately, when I open the Accessibility Shortcut option under the Accessories settings, the Guided Access shortcut is greyed out!

Surprisingly, when I turn off the Accessibility Shortcut option under the Guided Access options, the Guided Access option still appears - although still greyed out. I would have thought that it would have been displayed in the list, but without a checkmark next to it.

When I turn off the Guided Access option, it no longer appears in the Accessibility Shortcut list (which I guess is to be expected). Changing the Guided Access ‘Passcode Settings’ to turn on or off Face ID has no impact.

Likely unrelated, but in the spirit of full disclosure, I also usually have the Screen Time “Content & Privacy Restrictions” option set to disallow account changes and disallow apps from request tracking. However, even when I turned off these restrictions, the above problem still persists.

If anyone has any thoughts or ideas on this, I would appreciate a response. Thanks in advance.

iPhone 12 Pro, iOS 18

Posted on May 11, 2025 10:46 AM

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Answer 1

brbo

Level 8

38,635 points

May 11, 2025 6:30 PM in response to rckingsley

Hi rckingsley.

Re: iPhone ’Guided Access’ Shortcut Disabled

Am no expert in this area, yet your post to the community deserves some response. At the least, we get your discussion thread underway, and others may choose to join in with their experience.

Wondering if some features in Guided Access have changed recently, requiring settings to be checked / changed.

If you haven't already done so:

It may help to restart your iPhone (deletes temporary files, re-establises connections, may update recent setting changes etc., and often restores order if something is not working as expected)

Then re-check whether Guided Access Shortcut works or not.

If not: There are tips in Apple support's online articles for iOS 18:

Lock iPhone to one app with Guided Access - Apple Support

Eg: says:

"You can set a time limit, and customize which features, hardware buttons, and areas of the screen are available."

Then: Quickly turn accessibility features on or off on iPhone - Apple Support

Eg: says:

"Note: To add some features—like Assistive Access or Guided Access—to the Accessibility Shortcut, you need to set them up first. You can use the Accessibility Shortcut to enter and exit Assistive Access, but you can’t use it to turn on other features while Assistive Access is active. To use the Accessibility Shortcut while Guided Access is on, you must turn on Accessibility Shortcut in Guided Access settings."

All the best :-)

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iPhone ’Guided Access’ Shortcut Disabled

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